Hello, I am Here
A hilarious and messy backpacking adventure in the ’90s
The third book in the Back in a Year series continues its hilarious journey with an all-new perspective of the Middle East by author Candace MacPhie
The book is available worldwide in print and e-book format by Anneek Inc
I have an around-the-world airline ticket and plans to conquer the Middle East. So why am I hanging around Prague, waiting for a guy—who told me to my face that he doesn’t love me? Because I can’t escape kryptonite, that’s why. The two of us travel through the Czech Republic and Germany, eating way too many peanut butter sandwiches and dancing around our feelings—until we don’t.
Once I do get my butt on a plane and reunite with my Australian friends, each step through the blistering heat in the Middle East spins up a slew of new challenges. My trials traveling around Europe have nothing on this place.
We haggle and dodge bed bugs and camel spit from Amman to Cairo. The girls and I take turns in the front seat of the taxi. Bus drivers rearrange passengers so we sit apart from locals. And an unexpected hairy nemesis barges in on my long-awaited felucca trip down the Nile.
But maybe, just maybe, out here in the sweaty, dusty chaos, I’ll find what I’ve been missing. And it’s not a peanut butter sandwich. It’s me.
Hello, I Am Here (Back in a Year Series Book 3) eBook : MacPhie, Candace: Amazon.ca: Kindle Store
More from Candace MacPhie
Gold Winner in the 2025 BookFest Awards
Silver Winner in the 2024 Global Book Awards
I have a nice job, a nice one-bedroom apartment, and a few nice friends. My days are filled with drab meetings, subway commutes, and lonely nights watching must-see Thursday TV.
I used to be the life of the party but have led a lackluster existence since my mom’s death. I’m twenty-five, but I might as well be seventy-five.
Desperate for change, I take off for a three-week vacation to Greece in search of fun. And I meet him. He reignites my zest for living, and the thought of returning to my dull routine after getting a taste of sublime is soul-crushing.
So I don’t. I sell everything and leave for England to reunite with him for my grand escape—but there are no piña coladas. Instead, I get a roller-coaster relationship, lame temp jobs, and endless misunderstandings while sharing a flat with Aussies, Kiwis, and the sexcapade Spanish couple in a sketchy part of London. But as my delicious and cringeworthy moments collide, I discover a path that changes the course of my life forever.
Ahh—here I am—on my dream backpacking trip overlanding from Russia—through Eastern Europe—to Istanbul with my travel partner, Khadejah. Bring on the sunny days of exotic sightseeing, tasty new food, interesting people, and places I can get lost in to soothe my tattered heart.
But …
It rains most days.
Don’t even get me started on the food.
The locals are low on smiles.
And I’m drowning in grief.
Then the sun finally comes out. With the help of my friends, George Michael’s music, and laughter we tackle culture shock, wild interactions, changing plans, and uncover gems I never thought I would see with my own eyes.
But the leers, catcalls, and gropes are never-ending. Regardless we persevere … until a vicious and humiliating encounter causes me
to question if life on the road will save me or break me.
Life Strikes Back (Back in a Year Series Book 2) eBook : MacPhie, Candace: Amazon.ca: Kindle Store
About Candace:
Born in Montreal, Quebec, I spent years backpacking and working around the world. I have a Bachelor of Commerce degree, an MBA, and worked for twenty years on four different continents and now call Calgary, Alberta home.
I got married, had kids, and things got busy. Time was moving by quickly and my kids were growing up fast. I shifted gears and quit my job to spend time at home. During the COVID lockdown, I had time on my hands, decided to try writing, and started writing the Back in a Year series.
When I’m not at my computer yelling “Just a few more pages, then I’ll make dinner,” I love hiking in the Rocky Mountains, hot yoga, reading romance novels, and making up new cake recipes. I especially like to laugh and spend time with my husband, the self-proclaimed grumpy motherf*%ker, and my three awesome kids.
Follow me on Instagram: @candacemacphie
Or on TikTok: @candacemacphie
And visit my website for trip photos: http://www.candacemacphie.com
Scribble's Worth 